Arizona Vacation

The girls and I went on our annual Arizona vacation. There are definite perks to traveling with a 4 and 6 year-old. For one, they are not so thrown off by wacky schedules and they are really pretty independent.  Also escalators, and moving sidewalks are fun and not scary and that helps considerably especially at DIA where that is the majority of ways you get to place. Anyway, our trip started dark and early on June 6th. We headed for the airport about 3:00AM and left at about 5:30AM. We fly on Southwest and to be honest if you can afford the tickets go with Southwest. Free bags, snacks, and drinks is awesome! Plus, their flight staff is really nice and their pilots seem good. If you can't tell I loved flying Southwest. My girls have never gotten in flight snacks and drinks before, so they thought that was AMAZING! Kylee even stayed up till about 11:00PM on our flight home just so she could get one. Anyway, the trip there was great. Tia for some reason got a little scared about being in the air, but other than that we pretty much had snacks and slept until we got to Arizona.

My dad picked us up at the airport and took us to Tolleson which is where Jack and Lindsay now live. Klaire was there visiting for a bit too, so it was fun to see her a little early. Lindsay had made some really good pumpkin muffins and we had those and eggs for breakfast. Then the kids played and Lindsay went to a workout class and Klaire and I stayed home. I wasn't sure my body could handle all the jumping around because I am expecting twins and well it seems that jumping makes me not feel so good. Not usually the day I do it but for about a day or two after. Anyway, so Klaire and I stayed home we visited for a bit and then I needed a nap, so Klaire was a saint and manned the four kids for a bit. I eventually woke and visited some more and just enjoyed watching the kids play. Then Linsday got home and talked and visited some more and then had lunch. After lunch I made the kids take a nap because we all needed one. Once we woke up from that the rest of the day was spent having the kids play, getting dinner ready, visiting with Jack when he got home, and just being there. I was at Jack and Linsday's house from Wednesday to Saturday. The kids mainly just played and played and played. Kylee and Betty get a long really well and Tia kind of floated between those girls, Allen, Roxy and herself, but she seemed to enjoy. We went to the spash pad one day, and swimming another. Lindsay humored us and let us do a piggy party. She has all the really cool fun stuff for getting awesome looking piggies, so it was really fun and we loved our nails. I had a really good time there and it was fun to be with Jack when he wasn't at work. I enjoyed being with Lindsay and the kids. I feel bad that I didn't feel real awesome all the time, so although I would normal play games and help with lots of stuff, I just couldn't. So, that was a bummer and I hope I wasn't too much of a drag.

Saturday Lindsay had arranged to have a BBQ at my cousin Lafe's house. He has a pool and cool backyard, so we went over there and swam and played and enjoyed some more family and fun. Kara and Seth came with their boys, Ian and his wife Michelle came and then all of Lafe's family was there, so it was a party. We had good food and good company. My kids loved the slide and jumping of the rocks and learning from Vivian how to dive. My kids were wiped by the end but they played hard and had a good time. We had grilled chicken and hotdogs with fruit and salad for lunch. Then Kara made summer slush for dessert. It was a fantastic meal, with great company and fun. After the BBQ, Jack and Lindsay dropped me and the girls off at Kara's house were we rested, played, and had dinner. Oma's flight got delayed, so we ended up driving to the airport to get her and then leaving directly from there for home. We got to Pima around 9:30 and me and my girls pretty much went right to bed.

Sunday was a pretty typical day, except it is so much hard to keep kids clean and ready for church when there are so many cool things to do in the backyard and church doesn't start until one. However, we made it. Tia totally crashed in church. She laid down between Oma and Papa and before the opening song was done she was out and stayed out all the way through church. It was crazy, she never ever  did that last year when we had 1:00 church. Church was fun and it is amazing how quickly you lose track of what RS is doing when you don't go. So, it was kind of fun to get to have a lesson from General Conference and to be with the sister. When we got home we got ready for dinner. We had Papa Ross over (as usual which is awesome!) and it was great to visit with him and tell him about the twins. We had a great dinner and visited for a bit. Then he left and we cleaned up. I let the girls stay up that night and go down to his house to visit with who was there. There weren't many there just Uncle Mark and Bryan, but it was still fun and my girls enjoyed all of the cool old toys. When we got back I got the girls to bed stayed up a little and then went to bed too.

Monday we just chilled with Oma. We went swimming, and relaxed at her house. Sometimes it is just good to be home and not really have anything you have to do. Oma even did the FHE lesson. I did help Klaire do an FHE treat, but it was nice to not worry about the lesson and I think the girls really enjoyed hearing from someone else. That night between dinner and FHE Papa took us on a four-wheeler ride. The girls loved it and it turned out to be a really good thing because we discovered there was probably a break in the main water line up to the house.

Tuesday was pretty chill too. Klaire left early-ish to get Kara, Ross, and Levi to come play with us. So, after quiet time they were here. It was fun to go swimming with them and enjoy having cousins around again. The girls and I went up to Papa's office and had lunch with him. We got done a little early, so we went to the park across the street and played. It was a little weird because there were some teenagers causing dumb teen drama over the phone, but for the most part they were respectful of my kids playing and so it was okay. We had a good lunch with Papa and ran a couple of errands and then went home for quiet time. The rest of the day was pretty chill for us. After dinner Papa had to go dig up the main line and see what was wrong. While he was doing that and after we got the kids to bed Klaire, Kara, and I went and did initiatories for a little bit before the temple closed for the night. It was short, but it was good to go and fun to do it together.

Wednesday and Thursday were filled with cousin play, visiting, and enjoying. Kara, Klaire, and I went for a run that morning and enjoyed a rather cool morning. The kids played outside and it was great. After breakfast Kara pulled out the plans my dad had given us to draw on the back of and started the creative juices flowing by making a giant paper airplane. Then Kara made a vest and Kylee made her own purse. It was quite clever and they had a lot of fun doing it. We went swimming after quiet time and enjoyed just being around each other. Thursday our 'activity' was going to the splash pad in Thatcher. My kids are really enjoying splash pads now and it is really fun. They had a great time, but we did a little to close to lunch time, so everyone got hungry. However, we still had a good time and got everyone some lunch when we got home. That night Jack and Lindsay arrived and so their was more cousin play and fun and the finally bedtime.

Friday was a day full of play for my kids. They played outside, and inside. They played and played. My dad worked on sealing of the basement, so when it rained it wouldn't flood the storage room, but most everyone else just visited and played. That afternoon we went swimming and had a wiener roast. It was actually kind of cloudy, so the weather was perfect for being outside. Papa Ross joined our fun again and it was a fun family night. That night my brother was ordained to be a High Priest so he could serve as second councilor in the bishopric. It was cool to be there and witness my Dad and Papa Ross participate in that. So, I think I have probably witnessed all my brother's priesthood ordinations. I don't know for sure, but I can't think of why I would have missed any I was around for all of them. I feel really blessed to have been home when that happened.

Saturday was another day of fun. There was some outdoor fun, but we got a beautiful summer storm almost all day. So, we hung out under the porch and watched the rain and chatted. My dad got out his pellet gun and let everyone shoot that. We visited and enjoyed each other's company. During naptime I took a nap, but my Dad, Kitt, Jack, and Lindsay played Cover Your Assets. I got to play for my dad while he did something, but luckily he came back because I didn't cover to well for him. It was fun to see all my family play and enjoy each other. That night around 7:00 Jack and Lindsay took their family back home and the rest of us got our kids bathed and in bed. Then we finished watching The Happiest Millionaire.

Sunday again was pretty typical, but this time Kara, Seth, Ross, and Levi were there, so that actually helped with keeping my kids entertained inside. Tia and Kylee both crashed out after the sacrament was passed and it was fun to be sisters in RS. We had dinner after church with Papa Ross and then after visiting it was time to help get Kara and Seth back to their home. Also, my dad needed to get to Phoenix that night too.That night my mom and I got to have a really good visit, just the two of us. Then Klaire came home and we visited some more and then went to bed.

Monday and Tuesday were just chill days again. Playing and swimming. The house seemed really quiet without all the extra people, but it was a little nice to have it be just us again. We watched Coco for FHE on Monday. Klaire and I went to the 8:00AM session at the temple on Tuesday. My mom watched my girls for me and even though I could not stay awake for anything during the session, I was really glad I could go to the temple. On Tuesday night, Oma spoiled us by taking us out for snowcones. They were really good and it was fun to enjoy a warm night with a cool treat.

Wednesday it was time to go home. I got our stuff gathered, and helped get some things cleaned up and then it was time to go to Kara's house. We got to Kara's in  time for lunch and naps. My mom and Klaire headed back home about 2:45. So, we enjoyed being at Kara's and playing with Ross and terrorizing Levi one last time. Kara helped my girls make cookies and we had a scrumptious dinner with them too. It was fun to be in their home and enjoy them and what they do. My dad came and picked us up and took us to the airport. We made a really good time, plus our plane was delayed, so we were at the airport for awhile. Luckily for me they had moving sidewalks, and free shuttle cars. The car took us for a ride and showed us a game we could play and then took us back. I then made the girls walk to the game and they had fun playing for a bit. Then we walked back and we video chatted Kitt and finally boared about 10:20. It was a long late flight. I would rather fly really early than really late, but we survived. Gaupo met us at DIA and we got our bags. I slept almost the whole way home and barely managed to get ready before crashing again.

The next morning I had my first offical pre-natal exam at 8:15. I made it to that. It was fun to see those two babies and listen to their heartbeats. It was fun to see them wiggle too. One was super wiggly and the other was only a little wiggly, but it was still cool. Then I came home and had a second breakfast with my family and sent Gaupo to work. I wasn't sure I would make it till naptime, but I did, but then I slept for a long time. The rest of the day was pretty much just spent chilling and recovering from travel.

I have an awesome family. I am so glad I got to visit with them and play with them both in their own homes and at my mom's house. It was great to be home. It was great to be hot and in the desert. I am really glad my parents have an A/C and a pool, but I still love to have the heat. It really was a great visit and I feel so lucky to have been able to go. I don't have many pictures but here are a couple.

Tia rolling the bag at 3:30AM. Sorry so blurry.

Kylee ready to go to AZ.

The cool Father's Day sign that Kara and Kylee made. Tia, Ross, and I added stuff to it but those two are the ones that really made it.

Tia in the sand box.

We all got haircuts from Aunt Klaire.

Dad helping me get to security.

Our twins.

Memorial Day Weekend

It was a super fun weekend. We started out for Idaho early (5AM) on Saturday morning. We made really good time. We had breakfast in the car and got to my Grandpa's around 1:45PM. Kitt and Matthew were already there and they were making greasy tacos. We added out pizza to some taco's and enjoyed lunch with them. After lunch, Gaupo worked on setting up a new TV for Grandpa-great while the rest of play outside. Kylee and I played catch for awhile. Then we picked up pine cones in the lawn to help out. Then Matthew and Kylee played catch for probably over an hour. He was such a good sport. While they were doing that, Tia was moving chairs, telling people where to sit, going in and out of the house and all kinds of things. At around 4:30 I took Kitt, Matthew, Kylee, and Tia to the greenhouses, so we could see Uncle John and Aunt Karen for a few minutes. They were having a great day at the greenhouses, and it was fun to see them and the greenhouses. We came back home and picked up Gaupo and headed to Swanlake.

The party in Swanlake was already gearing up when we got there. Grandma had made dinner for our bunch, plus a few other extend family members who were already there for the weekend. We had dinner outside. After the kids scarfed theirs down they played and played and played. Blaine and James were of course there, but there were some extra cousins too and so that was fun for them. Once we had all finished dinner and gotten cleaned up we went to the pond and joined the Moyle's (more of Grandpa's side of the family) for visiting and fishing. It was really fun to be up there and to visit, but I was also pretty tired, so I was kind of glad when it was time to come down and get the kids showered and to bed. We didn't play games, because I didn't feel up for it especially with tomorrow being Sunday.

Sunday was really fun too. It started off with the traditional pancakes for breakfast and everyone getting ready for church. We were actually ready early for church, so we watch some church videos and then headed to church early, so we could walk up to the cemetery. It was kind of nice to visit the cemetery and be just us. The girls always enjoy seeing Derek's headstone and asking all kind of questions about him and what happened. I know it might sound kind of weird, but I love those time  because I feel like I get to bear my testimony about the plan of salvation and how I really do trust in the Lord and His plan for me and our family. After our walk, it was time for church. It was fun to see all the Merrill's at church. We had quite a bit of extended family at church, and so did others, so they actually had to open the overflow. I love it when the church is full. I think Grandpa was especially pleased to have so many of his family members there. During church I got to go to RS and it was a really good discussion on ministering. I asked some questions and got some answers, so I thought it was well worth going to. After church we had a big dinner. We had about 30 or so people for it. Grandma had made a great spread of turkey, ham, potatoes, and veggies. It was all delicious and no one went away hungry. As the afternoon progressed we were joined by more and more family. By 'dinner' that night we probably had about 50 people. We made homemade pizza. The kids were all 'starving,' and so they were actually really good help with making the pizza and we got 7 homemade pizzas made. It was supplemented by chips, drinks, and veggies. It was really, really good. After we had finished dinner, several of us played frisbee golf around the house. The adults in the group were Melanie, Aaron, Gary, Scott, Nate, Carley, Jared, and I. We played that for awhile and then it was kind of winding down and Carley wanted to play wiffle ball. Well, actually she probably would have loved to play softball, but we didn't have room for that so we played wiffle ball. I actually had to help get the kids down for the first part, so Gaupo went and played for a bit and I think he actually kind of enjoyed it. It was fun game. My team go pretty creamed, but it was actually still really fun. After games it was pretty late, so Nate and Carley and Aaron and Melanie went to put their kids to bed and then we all met back up at the house for games. We were going to play normal quiet games, or night games, but instead we played a game called "Up Chickens." It is really fun, or at least it was that night. We played until about 12:15 and then I called it quits, so did everyone else, but you know how it goes with the visiting after games. So, I didn't actually get to bed until about 1:00, so that made 6:00 come real early, but it was really fun and I am glad I got to know Nate and Carley a little better.

Monday started early. I got up read scriptures and then got ready, so I could help get everything ready for the day. We needed to be to the cemetery by 9:00, but before that we needed to have breakfast, potatoes and onions slices and ready for dutch oven potatoes, punch made, and make sure everything was ready to be packed in the truck to take to the pond as soon as we got back. We made and we actually made it a little early. The girls loved setting out their pinwheels and flags for Derek and then we watch the veteran's play the rights and do a gun salute. It was actually really pretty neat. Then we went back home, loaded everything into the truck, and everyone on four-wheelers and headed to the pond. When we first got there it was a lot of cleaning up and getting the girls fishing. Tia also really wanted to go in a paddle boat, so once I had helped out a little Gaupo's cousin Laura and I took her 3 kids, my 2 and another cousin out on the boat. It was really nice. The boat was kind of hard to steer, but we eventually got were we wanted to go and enjoyed being out on the pond. When we got back more family had arrived and they had brought buckets, kayaks, and a paddle board. So, the girls had fun playing with cousins in the water. I got to visit with people for a while and it was fun to see everyone just enjoying being together. Actually I told Gaupo, it was kind of like watching my Bryce family get together. We all really enjoy being together, but we definitely tend to hang around certain cousins, but it is still really fun. Shortly before lunch was ready I finally agreed to take Tia out on one of the kayaks. These kayaks are made for small people--like max weight 130. Well lets say I am more than 130 and Tia is around 35 so we were sitting pretty low in the water, but we weren't under water, so we still went out. However, not too far from shore we rocked and got thrown into the water. Tia was a champ. She started crying, but she also started swimming toward the side. I was so proud that she didn't even hesitate. She knew exactly what to do. Yes, she was crying, but I think it was more because she was cold and wet than that she was scared. Once we were back, I convinced her to go out again for just a short ride and then we went back out and got the paddle board and that was probably my favorite. It was so easy to use, it was stable, and it was so peaceful out there on the pond. After that ride, Tia and I went and got some lunch. The Merrill's have a cold salad making gene that runs in them. Seriously, they make the best salads and they are all different and good. So, I ate a lot of those and then had a burger. Once, I was done eating Kylee and I went out on the paddle board and enjoyed being together. After being out on that for a bit, we visited some more, but people had to start getting packed up and leaving. So, we got everything picked up and put away and came down to the house. There we visited some more and had some dinner and played ticket to ride and then went to bed. It was a crazy busy day, but it was so fun. There really is a special joy the accompanies good family get togethers.

Tuesday was a lot calmer. We all kind of slept in and had breakfast. We then took the kids up fishing while we waited for Jeff and Heidi to come up. It was really muddy up at the pond from the rain the night before, but it was good fishing. We caught about 4 fish. We also took a ride out in the paddle boats and played for a bit with Jeff and Heidi and their kids up there and then we came back to the house. The kids enjoyed playing together outside for a bit. We had hoggies for lunch and then Aaron and Jeff went shooting while the rest of us just hung out and visited and let the kids play. It was fun to have a smaller group and just enjoy visiting. When the boys came back they were going to take the other boys and go shoot clay pigeons, but it started to sprinkle, so they put that off and let the kids shoot a bow and arrow and BB guns. Then we had a 'heavy snack' which is code for dinner  at the wrong time. After that it had stopped sprinkling, so it was time to go shot gun shooting. I somehow got to tag along. So, Gary, Aaron, Jeff, Grandpa, Gaupo, and I went shot gun shooting. It was actually really fun and I actually hit some, so that was fun too. After we spent a little longer than Jeff was suppose to doing that we came home and took the kids for a four-wheeler ride. We took them on a ride to a new road they made and showed them the new bulldozer. Then we said good-bye to Jeff and Heidi. Then my girls convinced us to take them on another ride. They wanted to go see where Gaupo got in his wreck when he was younger. We invited Melanie and Aaron to come and then did. So, we had a great ride out and then Gaupo wanted to go up on top of one of the hills and Aaron knew the way, so he lead us up. It really was a beautiful area. I have to agree with Gaupo's choices and say that is the second most beautiful place on the farm. Well when we were coming back from that my phone slip out of my pocket and I didn't realize it. Luckily-ish we found it on our way back but only after it got run over. So, yeah it doesn't work. Luckily Aaron and Melanie had a phone I could have, so I didn't lose everything, but I consequently don't have any pictures of this great weekend. Well, I haven't actually hooked up my phone to the computer yet to check, but I will but it might be later. Anyway, after we got from our ride we just enjoyed the night played some games and called it a night.

We left Wednesday morning to come home. The trip home is always super long, but we made it. It was such a great trip. I thought it was the perfect length. I was satisfied with the time I had, but would have liked more. They kids were still getting along and it was awesome. So, it was actually sad to leave while we were still having fun, but my mom always said that is when its the best time to go. In this case, I think she was right. We had so much fun playing and being with family. We were pretty exhausted, but it was totally fun and worth it.